The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a pump for a solid, such as particulate matter. More particularly, the pump may be used for delivering solid feedstock (e.g., coal) to a gasifier in an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plant.
A typical pump designed for solids, such as particulate matter, has a single continuous channel. For example, the pump may rotate a disk within a circular housing, thereby driving the particulate matter along a circular path from an inlet to an outlet. Unfortunately, the outlet is abruptly angled relative to the circular path, thereby causing potential clogging, high stresses, and high power requirements in the pump. Moreover, the pump is limited to a circular path.